Shaker top can



%c. 15, 1936. v A, H KIN 2,064,308

SHAKER TOP CAN Filed March 7, 1935 INVENTOR.

. ArHwr G. Hopkms gZW 1/9 ATTORNEYS Patented Dec. 15, 1936 STATES SHAKERTOP CAN Application March 7, 1935, SerialNo. 9,713

8 Claims.

This invention relates to shaker top cans.

Shaker top cans are popular, but suffer from the defect of not beingtruly sift-proof or leakproof when closed. This is particularly truewhen the can is used for a very finely comminuted powder. The primaryobject of my invention is to generally improve shaker top cans with aview to making the same permanently sift-proof.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and other objects which willhereinafter appear, my invention consists in the shaker top can elementsand their relation one to the other as hereinafter are more particularlydescribed in the specification and sought to be defined in the claims.The specification is accompanied by drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective View of a can embodying features of myinvention;

Fig. 2 is a section taken in elevation in the 2 plane of the lineZ-Z ofFig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan-view of the top of the can;

Fig. 4 is a plan View of the resilient intermediate member used in thecan; and

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the fixed head closing the upper end of thecan.

Referring to the drawing, and more particularly to Fig. 2, the shakertop assembly of my invention considered in one aspect comprises twomembers I2 and I4 which are matingly perforated at I6 and which arerelatively transversely or slidably movable in order to bring theperforations into or out of registry. One of these members, in this casethe intermediate member I4, is made of resilient sheet metal and is soshaped as to exert a sealing pressure on the member I2.

Considered in another aspect, the shaker top assembly comprises threemembers I2, I4 and I8, the member I8 being a fixed head permanentlyclosing the upper end of the can body 20, the member I2 being an outertop movable relative to the head I8. One of these members, in this casethe head I8, is depressed or recessed away from the other to receive theintermediate sealing member I4. The intermediate member I4 istransversely immovably related to head I8 and in operation, the membersIt and I8 act as a single member with respect to the opening or closingeffect of movement of the top I2. The intermediate member I4 is,however, relatively movable in an axial direction and in the presentcase exerts an axial sealing pressure upwardly against the top I2. Thiseffects a tight seal when perforations IB are moved out of registry, andthe tight seal is maintained throughout the life of the container.

Considering the specific embodiment of the invention in greater detail,the can body 28 is cylindrical and is permanently closed at its lowerend by a bottom 24. It is outwardly beaded near its upper end at 26, thebead 26 serving as a protective bead for shielding the lower edges ofmembers I2 and I8. The can body is tapered at 28 and is' so dimensionedas to receive the flange or skirt of head I8 with a force fit. The fitis so tight that the upper end of the can is permanently closed by headI8, which in turn is fixedly or nonrotatably secured to the can body.Head I8 is preferably domed or upwardly convex in configuration, and itscentral part is depressed or recessed at 22, this recess preferablyhaving a polygonal or non-circular outline as is clearly shown in Fig.5. The central or recessed part of head IB is cut away or apertured andin the present case is perforated by a group of perforations I6.

Intermediate member I4 .is matingly polygonally or non-circularlyoutlined as is clearly shown in Fig. 4. Intermediate member I4 may beplaced in recess 22 and is non-rotatable therein. It is preferably madeof resilient sheet metal and is shaped to exert an upward pressure inthe assembly. In the present case, the otherwise polygonal periphery ofthe intermediate member is scalloped or indented at 30 to form springfeet or points 32 which are bent downwardly on a radius shorter than thecurvature of the domed top. This is clearly evident from inspection ofFig. 2. Intermediate member I I is perforated with a nest ofperforations I6" registered with the perforations in head I8.

The top I2 overlies head I8 and intermediate member I4 and is securedagainst axial displacement by peripheral bead 34. Top I2 is perforatedwith a similar nest of perforations I6 adapted to register with those inmembers I4 and I8. Top I2 is, however, movable or rotatable on head I8so that the perforations may be brought into or out of registry, therebyopening or closing the container. The movement of top I2 is preferablylimited in conventional fashion as by the use of a stop lug 35 struckdownwardly in top I2 and slidable in an arcuate groove 38 struckdownwardly in head I8. It will be evident from the drawing that themotion-limiting mechanism 36, 38 is preferably located outside of therecess 22 and therefore outside of the effective sealing portion of theshaker top assembly.

It is believed that the mode of constructing my improved shaker top canas well as the many advantages thereof will be apparent from theforegoing detailed description thereof. The

three-part shaker top is assembled prior to the formation of bead 34,which is then formed to hold the parts in operative assembled relation.The assembly is pressed on the open tapered end of the can body with aforce fit. The assembly is simple and inexpensive and departs but littlefrom the simplest forms of shaker top. The slight departure, however,centering about the use of an intermediate sealing member providingaxial pressure between relatively slidable or oscillatable members,results in a greatly improved and permanently sift-proof shaker top.

There is no leakage sidewardly between the fixed head and the relativelyoscillatable top because the peripheral portion of the assembly is atleast as well fitted as an ordinary two-part assembly, and the pathwhich powder would have to take in escaping sidewardly and downwardly isa long and tortuous one, and includes the bead 34 at which there ismaintained tight engagement by reason of the resilient insert.

It will be understood that the top member may be recessed upwardly toreceive a downwardly pressed intermediate member instead of thedownwardly recessed arrangement shown, but I prefer the latter becauseit provides a smooth top for the container. It will also be appreciatedthat while I show relative oscillation of the parts of the shaker top toopen or close the same, this is done primarily because the cam body iscylindrical in shape. If differently shaped, it may be surmounted by acircular top with oscillatable mechanism as here shown, or by alongitudinally reciprocable top. I may also observe that the aperturethrough the member carrying the spring gasket or intermediate member maybe made in various shapes or may take the form of a single large hole,but I prefer the present arrangement because it insures maximum rigidityand consequent adequate support of the spring gasket even when thegasket pressure is made high in value. It is probably unnecessary tomention that the mechanism for limiting the movement of the top betweenfully open and fully closed positions may be varied widely and may evenbe omitted entirely.

I may further point out that while I have referred to the intermediatemember as being made of resilient sheet metal, the shape given saidmember in accordance with the present disclosure is such that a high andadequate degree of resilience is obtained even when using ordinary sheetmetal.

It will therefore be apparent that while I have shown and described myinvention in preferred form, many changes and modifications may be madein the structure disclosed without departing from the spirit of theinvention defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A shaker top can comprising a can body closed at one end by threesuperposed perforated members, the perforations being so located as tobe in registration in at least one position of the members, one of saidmembers being fixed, a second being movable relative thereto, and thethird being interposed between said fixed and movable members and beingmade of resilient sheet metal so shaped as to constantly exert a sealingpressure between the first and second members, said intermediate memberbeing immovable relative to one of said other members, whereby theperforations of the immovably related members remain in alignment.

2. A shaker top can comprising a can body closed at one end by aperforated fixed head, a perforated top surmounting and movable relativeto the fixed head, the perforations in thetop being in registry with theperforations in the head in at least one position of the top, and athird perforated member interposed between said head and top, said thirdmember being perforated in registration with one of said members andbeing transversely immovably related to said member, said third memberbeing made of resilient sheet metal so shaped as to exert a sealingpressure between the fixed and movable members.

3. A shaker top can comprising a cylindrical can body closed at one endby a circular domed perforated fixed head, a perforated top surmountingand oscillatable relative to the fixed head, the perforations' in thetop being in registry with the perforations in the head in at least oneposition of the top, and a third perforated member interposed betweensaid top and head, said third member being non-rotatably related to andperforated in registration with one of said members, said third memberbeing made of resilient sheet metal so shaped as to exert sealingpressure axially between the fixed and movable members.

4. A shaker top can comprising a cylindrical can body, a member fixedlymounted on and closing the upper end of the can body, a movable outermember surrounding said fixed member and oscillatable thereon, thecentral part of one of said members being recessed away from the otheron a polygonal outline and being apertured within said outline, apolygonally shaped intermediate member received in said recess, saidintermediate member being made of resilient sheet metal so shaped as toexert an axial sealing pressure on the adjacent member, saidintermediate and adjacent members being perforated, and saidperforations being in registration in at least one position of the outermember.

5. A shaker top can comprising a cylindrical can body, a domed headfixedly mounted on and closing the upper end .of the can body, thecentral part of said head being depressed or recessed on a polygonaloutline and apertured within said outline, a matingly polygonally shapedperforated intermediate member received in said depression, and an outerperforated member surrounding said fixed and intermediate members, theperforations of the outer member being in registry with those of saidintermediate member in at least one posi tion of the outer member, saidouter member being oscillatable for bringing the perforations in saidouter member into or out of registry with the perforations in theintermediate member, said intermediate member being made of resilientsheet metal shaped to a convexity greater than that of the outer member,and thereby exerting an axial sealing pressure against said outermember.

6. A shaker top can comprising a cylindrical can body, a domed headfixedly mounted on and closing the upper end of the can body, thecentral part of said head being depressed or recessed on a polygonaloutline and perforated within said outline, a matingly polygonallyshaped perforated intermediate member received in said depression, theperforations of said intermediate member being in registry with theperforations in the fixed top, and an oscillatable perforated outermember surrounding said fixed and intermediate members, the perforationsin said outer member being in registry with those of said inner andintermediate members in at least one position of the outer member, saidouter member being oscillatable for bringing the perforations in saidouter member into or out of registry with the perforations in the innerand intermediate members, said intermediate member being made ofresilient sheet metal so shaped as to exert an axial sealing pressure.

7. A shaker top can comprising a can body closed at one end by threesuperposed sheet metal members, one of said members being fixed, asecond being movable relative thereto, and the third being interposedbetween said fixed and movable members and being so shaped as toconstantly resiliently exert a sealing pressure between said relativelymovable members, one of said members and said third member beingperforated, said 15 perforations being in registration in at least oneposition of the movable member, and the remaining member being alsoapertured.

8. A shaker top can comprising a can body closed at one end by acircular apertured fixed head, a perforated circular top surmounting andoscillatable relative to the fixed head, and a third member made ofsheet metal and interposed between said top and head, said third memberbeing non-rotatabiy related to one of said members and perforated, theperforations in said third member being in registration with those ofthe other of said members, said third member being so shaped as to exertsealing pressure axially between the fixed and movable members.

ARTHUR. G. HOPKINS.

